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Black Owned Business Feature: Bask And Bloom

I am still wondering where the weather is lol. I think it was like this last year where Winter was extended but I am not going to complain, I know the weather will come around eventually…well I hope soon. Today’s Black Owned Business feature is Bask And Bloom.

** My attempt at flat lay, what do you think??**

Bask and Bloom was created by Candera Thompson in 2012 after looking for a remedy for breakage and dry hair that she was experiencing at the time. Fueled by her love for at home remedies and herbal tea, she researched about hair products that had those non toxic, natural ingredients to create her own brand. The first two products that started Bask and Bloom were the More Moisture Cream (one of my favorites) and the Stimulating Herbal Oil. The brand has expanded to include more hair products as well as skincare products.

I love that I can read all the ingredients and know what they are and the amazing benefits for my hair and skin. It is a part of the company’s mission to help promote healthier hair and skin with trusted ingredients.

I believe I discovered Bask And Bloom on Instagram (I think that is where is discover a lot of Black Owned Businesses lol) and just fell in love with the products as soon as I used them. My absolute favorite is the Brahmi Root Hair Masque.

I don’t think I would pick up another hair masque after this one just blew my mind. My hair was super moisturized, pillowy soft and just easy to manage. I just couldn’t get over how my hair felt! The products work so well together to keep your hair hydrated, moisturized and healthy.

I am fortunate to be a brand ambassador for this company during the Winter/Spring season. I love how Candera is taking the time to teach us things about the owning a business, being a black owned business and how we can be better influencers. I really appreciate the information I am learning.

I am just going to tell you to head over to their site now and pick up a few products, you won’t be disappointed. If you don’t know where to start, I recommend picking up the hair masque, More Moisture Cream and Rhassoul and Bentonite Clay Shampoo Bar. You can find them right here https://baskandbloomessentials.com

Have you tried anything from Bask and Bloom? What are some of you favorites? Let me know some of your favorite hair products. Comment below and see you guys Thursday!

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Women’s HERstory Luncheon NYC

I am not sure if Mother Nature is confused but it is not Winter anymore, it is officially Spring lol. It is supposed to warm up this weekend and I hope that the warm weather is here to stay.

Last Saturday, I attended the Women’s HERstory Luncheon with one of my best friends in NY. I heard about the event from one of the featured speakers that I know and thought it would be a great event to attend.

This event was created by Elle Johnson and Ebony Cattouse-Stewart and this was the 3rd annual luncheon. I love how this event was right in the middle of Women’s History month and was created to bring women together to share their stories, network and empower each other. I find it important to get out to these event and meet other like minded women. You can’t sit behind your computer blogging, you have to get out and network. I have met so many amazing women just being present.

I always love when I can come to into the city and visit. I loved the intimate vibe of the event so it made it easier to talk with others. The venue was super cute and I just loved the atmosphere.

We started off getting settled and getting to know who was at our tables. We were able to eat lunch, mingle, do a little shopping before the program started. I loved that two Black Owned Businesses(Marie’s Halo who sells candles that smell amazing and Trade Street Jam Co who sells these vegan, low sugar jams that taste so good!) were at the event and I made sure to support them both.

The program started out with a welcome from the founders and introduction of our speakers. (I have a IG highlight on the event on my profile with a few snippets of the speakers) One of the reasons I attended this event was because of Shinese Brathwaite of BK Girls Night Out. I previously attended one of her events and we have been in contact ever since. She spoke about how she got started with her Think Pink Events which will be celebrating 5 years this year and how she is educating everyone on the culture of Brooklyn. I love how she just stepped out and had her first event in her home and it just grew from there. You can’t be afraid to take those risks because you never know the opportunities that will present themselves. Shinese also made a good point about having the right tribe around you and how they should be able to tell you the truth about yourself.

The next speaker was another reason I wanted to attend, Rana Campbell from my favorite podcast Dreams In Drive. It was great to finally meet her in person and she was so sweet and welcoming. She really gave us the tools on being successful in putting your dreams in drive and how to utilize marketing. I feel that I overlook how much marketing is an important part of what you do if it is blogging, being an influencer podcasting or an entrepreneur. I highly recommend listening to her podcast, I get inspired every time I listen.

The last speaker was Chamar Logan who warmly greeted everyone as they entered the venue. She had such about a powerful testimony about how she overcame some difficult obstacles when everyone was telling her stop and doubted her. She made it clear to live in your purpose and don’t be afraid to ask for help. She stressed the importance to have faith in something, no matter what higher power you believe in, you just need to have faith.

After our speakers finished, there was a little Q&A sessions and we were free to continue mingling and shopping. I love when events are smaller and more intimate so you have the chance to really talk with everyone and it is not so crowded and rushed.

I really enjoyed attending this event and took away so much. I walked away feeling more empowered and having more of a clear vision of my brand. I love being around strong, boss women who are not afraid to give you the tools that helped them become successful. I will definitely be attending next year and encourage you to as well.

Hope you guys have a great weekend and see you Wednesday!

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Chunky Twistout Tutorial f/Bask And Bloom

It is always good to try new things and switch it up a bit. I decided to try a different way of doing my hair and I loved it! I am always scared that something will go wrong or my hair will be a disaster (and it has happened before lol) but this time it was a success.

So that is it for another hair tutorial. Don’t forget to use my code DREA20 at checkout with Bask and Bloom to save some coins. Haver a great weekend and see you guys next week!

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Black Owned Business Feature:Refineful

Can you believe it is March already and still getting snow lol? 2019 has started off pretty interesting, I am ready to see what else the year has in store. Today I will be sharing another Black Owned Business Feature.

I met Ann-Marie Watt, the owner of Refineful at BlogHer last year. She was just so dope, funny and just down to earth. We all had a group of fellow bloggers, entrepreneurs and girl bosses that we found during the conference and stuck together for the two days. Ann-Marie actually had samples of her products that she gave out to everyone and when I first tried her oatmeal soap, I was hooked.

Refineful was created in 2011 following her love of lip balms ( I am notorious for losing lip balms and finding them months later lol). She wanted to create lip balms that kept your lips moisturized and had safe ingredients. After the lip balms, she started creating soaps that are just amazing! The soaps leave your skin feeling moisturized, soft and just clean lol.

The main thing I love about this company is that 10% of the company’s proceeds goes towards Flint Kids. If you are unfamiliar on what is going on in Flint, MI (I highly suggest you educate yourself if you do not), they have been living with contaminated water since 2014 and to this day, it has not been resolved. This touched my heart that she was giving back because it seems like this problem is not a priority and it just needs to be addressed. Every little bit counts so not only are you supporting a Black Owned Business, you are supporting a town in need.

You can check out Refineful right here https://refineful.com and I highly recommend the lip balms of course, the oatmeal and coconut soaps. Let me know if you pick up something and see you guys Thursday.